Clark, James H. “Green Chemistry: Today (and Tomorrow).” Green Chemistry 8, no. 1 (December 23, 2006): 17–21. doi:10.1039/B516637N.
Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?
Dr. James Clark is currently a professor of Chemistry at the University of York. He received both his B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Kings College in London. Since this he has taught at York since 1979 and in 2006 was appointed as the Director of the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence. The GCCE is a research and educational facility that promotes the investigation of green chemical technologies. He has published over 450 papers, including “Valorization of Orange Peel Residues: Waste to Biochemicals and Nanoporous Materials,” “Green Chemistry: Challenges and Opportunities,” and “Biocatalysis in Bio-derived Solvents: An Improved Approach for Medium Optimization.”
What is the main topic or argument of the text?
The main topic of “Green Chemistry: Today (and Tomorrow)” was to give an update on how the area of green chemistry has changed over 7 years since 1999. He focuses on two major points; drivers for change and continued progress in the industry.
Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out.
Clark discusses that the main push for change will come from government legislation and not just the economics of a product. Until that catches up with chemical companies, they will continue to produce what they know as cheaply as possible, with little to no regulation of how a product is made. Regulatory practices, such as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals) have begun to make their way into industry practice. This type of legislation promotes restricting use of certain chemicals and requiring expensive permits for companies and laboratories interested in using such chemicals. The rising costs of certain chemical inputs, such as petrochemicals, as well as the cost of hazardous waste disposal will also help push companies to change. At some point, the cost of these materials or waste removal practices will outweigh the cost of implementing greener chemical practices. Clark also writes about his predicted changes for the chemical industry. He discusses how researchers and chemical companies are beginning to look into the entire life-cycle of a chemical product, not just how it is processed. In doing so, alternative chemical paths are being used, along with renewable chemical inputs. Since some of these materials are not widely used in industry at the moment, they have low value uses, but as more research in performed on them, they may become a standard material found in labs and industry.
What three quotes capture the critical import of the text?
“However, we are now entering an age where legislation is likely to become as important a driver for change as process economics. When put alongside the social pressures resulting from the poor image the public have of chemical manufacturing and their largely irrational fear of ‘‘chemicals’’ we can now see how the three cornerstones of sustainable development—economic, environmental and social benefit, each provide the drivers of change that should help to push the application of green chemistry forward.” “While this has largely been seen as a threat to European chemical manufacturers by industry, I believe that it can also be seen as an opportunity. By being forced to test chemicals, employ more benign substitutes where necessary and build up detailed information about toxicology and environmental impact, European manufacturers will be able to claim an unmatched level of ‘green credentials’ for their products which should give them an edge in world markets where consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about chemicals.”
“Education at all levels is vital to the future of green chemistry but while we see examples of good practice now in many countries and at school as well as tertiary level, the teaching of green chemistry at universities is still more the exception than the norm. We must ensure that the principles and practice of green chemistry are embedded in every chemical sciences degree course so that future generations of chemical scientists are at the heart of a sustainable 21st century society.”
Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.
My main area of focus is on how green chemistry will be a solution to bad chemical practices currently going on in industry. This article proves that green chemical practices are being developed and slowly integrated into industrial practices. By implementing legislation, companies will find it harder and harder to continue on using chemicals that ravage the environment and have the potential to be serious health risks. Since the legislation the Clark discusses will place heavy restrictions on hazardous chemicals and high costs on obtaining permits for these chemicals, it will force companies to look for greener chemical alternatives.
The article also discusses renewable materials as a source for chemicals, which touches on one of the 12 principles of green chemistry. Although current materials being researched are widely available, they have little use in today’s industrial practices. As research on renewable materials continues, better chemical inputs will be discovered and published for chemists and industry to implement into their products.
List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post.
a.James Clark believes that all chemical related college degrees should involve some form of green chemistry education.
b.Government legislation is the key to helping change the current practices in chemical industry.
Annotation 1
“Green Chemistry: Today (and Tomorrow)”
Clark, James H. “Green Chemistry: Today (and Tomorrow).” Green Chemistry 8, no. 1 (December 23, 2006): 17–21. doi:10.1039/B516637N.
Dr. James Clark is currently a professor of Chemistry at the University of York. He received both his B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Kings College in London. Since this he has taught at York since 1979 and in 2006 was appointed as the Director of the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence. The GCCE is a research and educational facility that promotes the investigation of green chemical technologies. He has published over 450 papers, including “Valorization of Orange Peel Residues: Waste to Biochemicals and Nanoporous Materials,” “Green Chemistry: Challenges and Opportunities,” and “Biocatalysis in Bio-derived Solvents: An Improved Approach for Medium Optimization.”
The main topic of “Green Chemistry: Today (and Tomorrow)” was to give an update on how the area of green chemistry has changed over 7 years since 1999. He focuses on two major points; drivers for change and continued progress in the industry.
Clark discusses that the main push for change will come from government legislation and not just the economics of a product. Until that catches up with chemical companies, they will continue to produce what they know as cheaply as possible, with little to no regulation of how a product is made. Regulatory practices, such as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals) have begun to make their way into industry practice. This type of legislation promotes restricting use of certain chemicals and requiring expensive permits for companies and laboratories interested in using such chemicals. The rising costs of certain chemical inputs, such as petrochemicals, as well as the cost of hazardous waste disposal will also help push companies to change. At some point, the cost of these materials or waste removal practices will outweigh the cost of implementing greener chemical practices.
Clark also writes about his predicted changes for the chemical industry. He discusses how researchers and chemical companies are beginning to look into the entire life-cycle of a chemical product, not just how it is processed. In doing so, alternative chemical paths are being used, along with renewable chemical inputs. Since some of these materials are not widely used in industry at the moment, they have low value uses, but as more research in performed on them, they may become a standard material found in labs and industry.
“However, we are now entering an age where legislation is likely to become as important a driver for change as process economics. When put alongside the social pressures resulting from the poor image the public have of chemical manufacturing and their largely irrational fear of ‘‘chemicals’’ we can now see how the three cornerstones of sustainable development—economic, environmental and social benefit, each provide the drivers of change that should help to push the application of green chemistry forward.”
“While this has largely been seen as a threat to European chemical manufacturers by industry, I believe that it can also be seen as an opportunity. By being forced to test chemicals, employ more benign substitutes where necessary and build up detailed information about toxicology and environmental impact, European manufacturers will be able to claim an unmatched level of ‘green credentials’ for their products which should give them an edge in world markets where consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about chemicals.”
“Education at all levels is vital to the future of green chemistry but while we see examples of good practice now in many countries and at school as well as tertiary level, the teaching of green chemistry at universities is still more the exception than the norm. We must ensure that the principles and practice of green chemistry are embedded in every chemical sciences degree course so that future generations of chemical scientists are at the heart of a sustainable 21st century society.”
My main area of focus is on how green chemistry will be a solution to bad chemical practices currently going on in industry. This article proves that green chemical practices are being developed and slowly integrated into industrial practices. By implementing legislation, companies will find it harder and harder to continue on using chemicals that ravage the environment and have the potential to be serious health risks. Since the legislation the Clark discusses will place heavy restrictions on hazardous chemicals and high costs on obtaining permits for these chemicals, it will force companies to look for greener chemical alternatives.
The article also discusses renewable materials as a source for chemicals, which touches on one of the 12 principles of green chemistry. Although current materials being researched are widely available, they have little use in today’s industrial practices. As research on renewable materials continues, better chemical inputs will be discovered and published for chemists and industry to implement into their products.
a. James Clark believes that all chemical related college degrees should involve some form of green chemistry education.
b. Government legislation is the key to helping change the current practices in chemical industry.